Dons quartet earn reward

4 June 2013

College players earn a chance to shine

Four players from AFC Wimbledon’s College Academy squad have been rewarded for their impressive performances by Under-18s manager Mark Robinson.

Harry Bruce, Jake May, Nassem Majeed and Robert Switon have all been invited to join the rest of Wimbledon’s scholars for the start of pre-season training on 1 July and good performances from the quartet could see them included in Mark’s Football League Youth Alliance squad for 2013/14.

That shows the benefit of AFC Wimbledon’s full-time sports and education programme, run in conjunction with South Thames College Merton Campus, which helped Jim Fenlon progress towards the first-team set-up.

Harry, Jake, Nassem and Robert have all produced consistent displays for the college team in the Football Conference Youth League Premier Division to earn opportunities to step-up.

Academy Manager Mark Robinson said: “This shows that the standard of the league that the college team are in is good enough for players who excel to move up and play in the Football League Youth Alliance.”

Head of Wimbledon’s South Thames College Academy, Michael Hamilton (pictured above), runs the college team and he said the following about his star players:

: Came through Wimbledon’s youth set-up and at Under-16 he was unfortunate not to earn a scholarship. Harry is a right-back, but he has also shown his versatility by playing centre-back and left- back this season.Harry Bruce

: Joined the club as an Under-16, but too late to be considered for a scholarship. Jake came to the club as a defensive midfielder, but we’ve worked hard on his positioning to allow him to flourish in a more advanced role.Jake May

: Wide player who featured for the Under-18s last season. Had a very consistent season and reached double figures in terms of goals.Nassem Majeed

: Defensive midfielder who was our most consistent player over the course of the season, and has already gained experience for the Under-18s.Robert Switon

to view our previous article on the official website, which includes details of how to apply.Academy trials AFC Wimbledon’s College Academy held trials in April and May for next season’s intake. However, if you’re a young footballer with promise then you can still put yourself forward for trials to be staged later this year. Click on